The Reason
by Lazy Kitsune
Summary: Claire wants to go to the Wine Harvest with Dr. Trent, but he's too busy working. Upset, she finds comfort in Cliff and invites him instead. During the Harvest, Trent sees them together and feels a bit jealous.
1. Chapter 1

**The Reason**

**A/N:** _This is now in doujinshi mode. Please check it out too (link is on the end of my profile page). Enjoy (or not)…_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Claire was running as fast as she could towards the Clinic. Moments earlier, Duke had visited her to ask her for help with the Fall Wine Harvest the next day. He explained that she would be the best candidate since she was after all a farmer. Claire was just a bit unconvinced with his reasoning – it hadn't even been a year since she'd moved in. However, she appreciated Duke and Manna's kindness, and she had happily accepted. When Duke had encouraged her to bring a friend along, Claire knew just who she wanted to invite.

She nearly slammed into the door of the Clinic, giving Elli a bad shock.

"Claire!" she exclaimed. "Please don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry, Elli," Claire apologized sheepishly. "Um, is the Doctor in?"

"He's in his office as usual."

"Thanks!"

She took a few deep breaths to steady herself as she peered through the curtains. There he was, sitting alone at his desk, quietly focused on some paperwork. Claire smiled as she watched him. _'Trent will come with he, won't he?'_ she thought, gripping the curtain. _'Oh, I hope he says yes!'_ In her excitement, she reflexively tugged on the curtain. Suddenly, there was a loud snapping sound from above, and Claire looked up in time to see a flash of silver and a lot of blue curtain.

"Aaack-!"

Trent jumped at the sound of her scream. He stared at the mass of blue cloth piled on top of the blonde where the entrance to his office should have been. "C-Claire?"

"H-hi…"

He put his pen down and pulled the curtains off of her. "What were you doing? Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm fine," she assured him, rubbing her head. "I came to see you…"

"Did you need a check-up?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Do I have to have _that_ reason to come and see you?"

Trent shrugged and walked back to his desk. "Well, I guess not," he said dully as he seated himself back to his work.

Claire walked closer towards his desk. _'He looks annoyed,'_ she thought worriedly. "Um…Are you mad at me, Trent?"

"No, it's fine," he replied without looking up.

"Well…" Claire paused for a moment and then continued, "Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"Is that so?"

"You see, Duke invited me to the Fall Wine Harvest," she explained, a smile forming on her lips. "He probably asked me because I'm a farmer and all. Well, anyways, he said that I could bring a friend to help, so I was wondering–"

"I'm sorry," Trent interrupted, his eyes still lowered at his paperwork. Claire stared at him with widened eyes, her mouth still open from her sentence. "I'm really busy right now. If you don't need a check-up, could we talk later?"

The world seemed to come to a full stop to Claire. She barely managed to say, "Oh. I see." After another beat, she turned from Trent, apologizing softy as she ran out, "Sorry for bothering you!"

Elli smiled at her from the counter. "Hey, how did it g–?" The door slammed before she could finish her question. She stared blankly at the door, murmuring, "She's so fast…" She threw a glance at Trent's office–or what was left of it–and sighed softly. _'I wonder what he said to make her like that?'_ she thought. _'I guess I'm a little jealous…They're so close. The Doctor isn't really the most sensitive person though…'_

There was only one word to describe how Claire was feeling as she tried to get away as far as possible from the Clinic. _'That was awful!_' she thought. _'Why? Why did he have to be like that?!_' She was so disoriented that she didn't even see Cliff walking in front of her and bumped into him hard.

"Owww…" he groaned. "Claire, you should be more careful! You're built like a tank!" He smiled, but it quickly turned into a look of concern when she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

She covered her face quickly and turned away from him. "S-sorry…"

Cliff's hands tightened into fists. Lowering his head, he asked her quietly, "Do you…Do you want to go to the Church with me?"

She sniffed. "O-okay…"

* * *

**A/N:** _Well, that's all that I feel like typing. Please tell me what you think._


	2. Chapter 2

**The Reason, Chapter 2**

**A/N:** _Thanks for reading this far._

* * *

Cliff took Claire's hand and led her slowly down the road. There was no communication whatsoever, except for Claire's occasional sobs. Rick walked past them on his way to the Supermarket and gave them a strange look, making Cliff blush. He was thankful when they finally walked in the Church and Carter was still in his confessional. He continued to lead her to the front row and finally released her hand to sit down.

They both sat quietly for a while. Cliff, who usually lost track of time when he was in the Church, suddenly felt that the world was slowing down at an unbelievable pace. Carter walked out of his confessional and noted the pair with slight confusion, which made Cliff blush once again.

Finally, Claire turned to him and smiled. "How are you, Cliff?"

Cliff smiled slightly. "Hey, that's my line to you, Claire," he told her. She giggled. "I'm alright, I guess. I think I'm going to have to leave town soon though."

Claire's eyes widened. "What?! Why?!"

"I'm running out of money," Cliff told her quietly. "I don't have a job, you see…" He sighed sadly. "I really liked this town, too…"

"A job…?" Claire muttered. Then she remembered. "Oh! Cliff! A job!"

Cliff looked at her in confusion. "Um, yes, I kinda need one to stay…"

"No, I mean, I can help you!"

He blinked. "You can?"

"Yeah!" she said excitedly. "You see, Duke asked me to help him out with the Wine Harvest. He said I could bring a friend to help too and…" She grinned.

"Y-you want…me?" Cliff was at a loss for words. She nodded earnestly. "Really?" he asked, his voice somewhat in disbelief, and she nodded again. His face lit up.

Claire stood up. "I need to get back to work now, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow at Aja Winery?"

"You bet!" he replied happily. "And, um…" He smiled shyly. "Thank you so much, Claire."

"No problem," she told him, smiling as she walked out of the church.

On her way back to her farm, Claire stopped at the front of the Clinic. She looked up at it sadly.

"_I'm sorry, I'm really busy right now. If you don't need a check-up, can we talk later?"_

Claire bit her lip, turning her head and walking faster. Rick was sitting at the bench between the Supermarket and the Clinic. He smiled and waved at her, but she just rushed past him. He frowned, confused, but as he watched her walk away, he could have sworn that he saw her wipe a big tear drop away on her cheek.

* * *

**A/N:** _Thanks again, I'd appreciate any sort of feedback.  
_


	3. Chapter 3

**The Reason  
Chapter 3**

"Oh?" Her hands shook as they gripped the flask of medicine he had, in a way, forced on her. "I…I don't feel…so good…" Without warning, she collapsed onto the Clinic floor in front of him.

"Claire? Claire!"

Trent suddenly found himself lying on his bed. The sun was warm on his face despite the cool temperature of his room. He rose slowly, placing a hand against his forehead.

'_It was just a dream…'_

He shook his head and climbed out of bed. As he exited his room, he noticed a note from Elli taped onto his door. It read,

"Doctor, I'm delivering those orders you finally finished yesterday to Mr. Zack.  
Also, Mr. Gray had dropped by early this morning to let us know that the curtain rod is fixed, so please pick it up from the shop.  
I'll be back by noon. Don't forget, okay? -Elli."

He stared at Elli's little doodle next to her signature as his memory struggled to function correctly. "Curtain rod…?" he murmured. "That's right, Claire broke it yesterday…" He sighed. "I hope she's alright…"

Lately, he had been thinking of her. No one in Mineral Town (except for Elli) really bothered bonding with him–he knew that they felt he was very serious about his work. However, from the moment they met, he felt that something about Claire was different. She seemed determined to befriend him. She came everyday to show him herbs that she found in the mountains, and she encouraged his studies. She even sampled some of his medicines, although…

He shook his head. _'What was I thinking?'_ he asked himself as he changed out of his pajamas. _'I shouldn't have given that to her…'_ He stared at the white lab coat that hung on the wall. _'What kind of doctor am I? But she wasn't mad or anything…'_ He reached for the coat and fingered the lapels, lost in thought. _'She just…smiled…' _There was a feeling that rose in his chest every time he thought of her, as if a weight seemed to be lifted off of him whenever she was around. He couldn't explain it because he'd never felt that way before…

He climbed down the stairs as he put on the coat. He had to stop thinking about this nonsense and focus at the task at hand.

-

Trent immediately felt that his arrival was bad timing as soon as he stood in front of the Blacksmith's shop. It appeared that there was yet another argument between Saibara and Gray. When the door swung open, Trent had nearly jumped back in alarm as a very furious Gray stormed out of the shop. Saibara remained behind the counter, silently fuming.

"Yes?!" the elder man snapped as soon as he caught sight of Trent.

Trent flinched. "Um, I, uh," he stammered, "I'm here for the curtain rod…?"

Saibara pulled the curtain rod from under the desk and swung it at him. "Please take better care of your things, Doctor!" he scolded.

"Ah, y-yes, I'm sorry," Trent apologized, although he wasn't sure why. "Please don't hit me…" He paid Saibara for the rod and walked out of the smithy quickly. As soon as the coast was clear, he sighed in relief. "He sure is scary…" he muttered.

As he turned the corner, he heard a familiar voice laughing from the vineyards of Aja Winery. '_Claire…?'_

"Cliff, you're doing it all wrong!" Claire taunted.

"No I'm not!" Cliff replied indignantly. "You're just jealous that I can harvest better than you!"

"Hey!"

Trent quickly stood behind a tree and watched them. _'What's she doing there?'_ he thought, slowly becoming annoyed._ 'And with _that_ guy, of all people!'_

Cliff pointed at a basket at his feet. "See, look at how many grapes I've already harvested!"

"Liar, those are probably mine!"

Trent bit his lip as he watched the pair laugh together. His hand curled tightly into a fist, and his breathing began to quicken. He closed his eyes, and, unable to watch them any longer, turned away.

Rick was feeding the chickens when he noticed Trent walking by the Poultry Farm. He waved at him, but the doctor kept his head down and passed quickly.

Rick frowned. "What is _up_ with these people?" he asked one of the chickens angrily, but received only a blank stare as a reply.

-

Elli debated whether or not she should walk into the Doctor's office. Ever since she returned at noon, she had found him totally focused on more paperwork behind the curtains.

'_I wonder where he even _found_ all that new paperwork,' _she thought sullenly as she peered through the curtains. She glanced at the clock–it had been hours since the closing time. She took a deep breath and walked in.

"Um, Doctor?" she called to him timidly from across the room.

Trent didn't reply. The only noise in the room was the scratching of his pen against the paper.

Elli tried again, walking a little closer. "Doctor."

No answer.

Annoyed, she finally closed the distance between her and his desk and slammed her hands down. "Doctor! Doctor Trent!"

"Yes?" came the curt reply.

She winced. She'd never heard that tone from him before. "Um, it's-it's 8 pm," she said quietly.

The pen paused. She dared to go on.

"Y-you've been working nonstop. Is there…something wrong?"

Trent slowly put his pen down and looked up at her. "Elli…you're good friends with Claire, aren't you?"

'_Of course it's about her.'_ The thought flashed in Elli's mind for only a second, but she already felt guilty for thinking it. "Y-yes, I suppose," she replied. "Um, did…did something happen?"

He moved his gaze to the side for a moment. "Is there…_someone_ that she talks about?"

"What do you mean?"

Trent scratched the back of his head, obviously embarrassed. "I feel silly for asking you this," he murmured.

Elli folded her hands over his, encouraging, "Doctor, it's okay, you can say it."

He stared at her hands for a moment and sighed. "Is there…do you know if…" He blushed. "Does Claire like anyone?"

She blinked. "Huh?" Where did _that_ come from?

Trent's face turned a few shades of red brighter. "F-forget it," he muttered, hastily withdrawing his hand from hers. "It was a stupid question…"

Elli frowned. "What happened?"

He closed his eyes and sighed. "I…I saw her today at Aja Winery," he began slowly. "She was with the boy who sees Carter everyday–I believe his name is Cliff–" He stopped suddenly, biting his lip as the memory came back to him. He leaned back on his chair and placed the back of his hand against his forehead.

"…Doctor…?"

"I saw them…" His voice shook. "They looked so happy together." He smiled bitterly. "I don't understand why I'm acting like this," he admitted. "I feel ridiculous."

_'You're so serious all the time, Doctor,' _Elli thought as she gazed at him. _'But it makes you so innocent...And that's what I like about you…'_ She turned around as she asked, "You don't understand because it's a new feeling to you, isn't it?"

"What's a new feeling?" he asked, confused.

Elli hid a smile as she walked out of the office. "Jealousy."

**

* * *

A/N:** _Thanks for reading. I hope that no one was too much out of character. I love all of you._


	4. Chapter 4

**The Reason  
Chapter 4**

Manna beamed. "Thank you so much for helping out you two!"

"It was no problem," Claire told her, returning the smile. Cliff nodded.

"Things have changed a lot since Aja left," Duke told them. "I've had to do everything alone."

"We're glad we could help," Cliff said quietly.

"Actually," Duke began, "I was kind of wondering, Cliff…"

"Y-yes?"

"Would you like a permanent job here at the winery?"

Cliff's eyes widened and he turned to Claire, whose expression mirrored his own. "A-Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief. Manna was smiling as Duke nodded. "I-I…" He grinned. "Yeah! Thank you!"

Claire smiled. "Does that mean that you won't have to go?" she asked him.

"I guess so," he replied happily.

"Well, this calls for a celebration!" Manna pulled some wine and cheese out of the refrigerator and set it on the table. "Eat up, everyone!"

The food was unusually tasty to Claire, not only because it was after a hard day's work, but also because Cliff was now a permanent resident of Mineral Town.

-

After the two said good night to the couple, Claire smiled at Cliff and said, "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow too." As she turned towards her farm, Cliff grabbed hold of her wrist. "Hey!"

"Wait," he said quietly. "It's dangerous to walk alone at night."

Claire narrowed her eyes. "Uh, I'm a _far_–" she began, but the look in Cliff's eyes silenced her. She glanced to the side, rubbing the back of her neck. "Y-you wanna…" She blushed, embarrassed. "W-will you walk with me then?"

Cliff smiled shyly. "Yeah…"

They walked together in silence until they passed Saibara's shop. Cliff glanced at her and asked, "Hey, Claire?"

"Mm?"

"I meant to ask you yesterday," he began. "Um…why were you crying?" Claire stopped in her tracks and lowered her head. Cliff looked at her, concerned. "Y-you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he said guiltily. "Sorry…"

She shook her head. "No," she said slowly. "I…It's kind of embarrassing, really." She smiled sadly and turned her head away from him. Cliff watched her quietly for a moment. He moved next to her and put an awkward arm around her shoulders.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" he asked her, smiling gently. "We're friends, aren't we? That's what I'm here for."

She looked at him, surprised. Then her face broke into a smile. "Yeah?" She giggled. "You're right. And you'll be here forever, now, won't you?"

Cliff laughed as he nodded. "If you want me to," he said.

She sighed. "Well, I…" She blushed. "I like someone."

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"But…" she continued, "I don't know how that person feels about me. I thought…I thought he liked me too." She crossed her arms and looked down at her feet.

"Wh-who is it?"

Claire blushed even harder. "Ah, it's-it's…" Her gaze shifted shyly at him. "D-Doctor Trent…"

Cliff bit his lip to keep from expressing his surprise rudely. "R-really…?"

"I knew it!" she exclaimed accusingly. "You think I'm weird now, don't you?"

"N-no I don't!" he protested. After a beat, he asked, "What happened?"

"Well…I invited him to the Wine Harvest."

Cliff inhaled sharply. "And…?" he asked, although he had a vague idea what may have happened.

"And…he sent me away." She smiled sadly at her feet. He watched her quietly as she hung her head. "Why?" she asked herself. "He couldn't take his eyes off of his work for two seconds…"

Her shoulders shook, and it was then when Cliff saw the tears. "Oh, Claire…" He bit his lip and (very awkwardly) wrapped his arms around her. "I-I'm sorry…"

Rick was returning home from Doug's Inn when he noticed the two of them tightly embracing. He blushed and hurried home, mumbling inaudible apologies for interrupting.

Cliff noticed Rick walking by and released Claire immediately, blushing furiously. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

She shook her head. "Ah, no," she told him, _"I'm_ sorry. I feel so silly crying in front of you again…" She laughed as she rubbed her eyes.

"It's okay," he assured her. "Let's get you home now."

He walked her all the way to the front of her house. As he was about to turn away, she suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"Cliff…"

He looked at her, totally caught off guard. "Y-yes…?"

"Um," she began, blushing, "th-thanks for listening to me."

"Ah…" He blushed as well. "It-it was no big deal…"

"Do you think–" she began, but she stopped. "Never mind…"

"What is it?"

"Um…do you think I should go see him tomorrow?" He stared at her. "Y-you know…just to clear things up…"

He could see it in her face–it was plain what she wanted to hear. But for some reason, he didn't want to say it. The things she told him tonight–he wished now that he never heard a thing. There was something about hearing how she felt for someone else that left him feeling somewhat broken.

"Uh, Cliff?"

Her voice snapped him back to reality. "Y-yeah," he said quietly. "You should go." He turned away as her face looked hopeful. "Good night."

**A/N:** _This is getting complicated. It was not exactly my intention to make it a love triangle, but it seems like it's taking that direction…Thanks for reading anyway.  
_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**A/N:** Comments are at the end of the chapter.

* * *

'_I should have just kept my mouth shut!'_ Elli thought angrily as she tied her apron around her waist. She glared at her reflection. _'How can I face him after what I said last night…? I'm such an idiot!'_ She sighed in frustration.

As she opened her bedroom door, she was shocked to find herself face-to-face with Trent, who had happened to be walking past her room. "D-D-Doctor…!"

His eyes widened in surprise for a second. Then his expression was replaced with an apologetic look. "Good morning, Elli," he greeted quietly. He cleared his throat and continued, "I have to apologize for my behavior last night. I really have no idea why I was acting so juvenile." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he cast his gaze downwards.

'_Oh, Doctor…' _Elli couldn't help smiling. "Please don't let it get you down," she told him. "I was being silly myself…"

"I guess it was just a bad day," he sighed. Then he smiled. "Hey, Elli?"

Her heart started beating a little faster as she answered, "Y-yes?"

"Do you think…" He blushed. "Do you think…Claire will come by today?"

Elli's eye twitched slightly at the sound of Claire's name. _'Of course he's asking about her again.' _She forced a smile as she answered, "I'm sure she will, Doctor." He smiled hopefully at her, making Elli felt somewhat better.

As if on cue, someone knocked loudly at the front door downstairs, making both of them jump. They looked at each other and rushed down the stairs. As Trent opened the door, Claire's fist hit him hard on the chest.

"Oof!" he grunted, staggering backwards.

"Doctor!" Elli cried, rushing to his side worriedly.

"Ah, Trent!" Claire exclaimed, rushing to him as well. "I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

"I-I think so," he murmured, rubbing where she hit him. He looked at her and smiled. "You seem to have gotten stronger, Claire."

She scratched the back of her head. "Heh heh…I guess…"

Their eyes met and they quickly looked away, embarrassed. Elli laughed nervously from the palpable awkwardness that was suddenly apparent.

"I brought a gift for both of you," Claire suddenly said. The two watched as she pulled out two bottles of wine and grape juice from her rucksack and held them over her head. "They're from the Wine Harvest!" she explained cheerfully. "Manna gave these for me on my way here."

Elli smiled delightedly, but Trent's expression suddenly fell as he remembered what he saw the other day. _'She…made that with that Cliff guy…'_ he thought. His stomach made a knot as he accepted the wine reluctantly.

"What's wrong, Trent?" she asked.

"Claire…why were you with Cliff at the Wine Harvest?"

There was a pause as she stared at him in disbelief. Then she exclaimed, "Are you serious?!"

Elli looked at them nervously. "Um, I-I'm going to put this in my room," she said, taking the juice. Claire nodded slightly in acknowledgement without taking her glaring eyes off of Trent, who looked confused. "Well, uh…I'll just go now…" Elli quickly climbed up the stairs.

"I can't believe you just asked me that!" Claire shouted at Trent.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. He was trying to keep his voice calm, but he found it difficult as he felt his irritation growing.

"I-told-you," she answered, poking him with each word, "about the Wine Harvest two days ago! I even asked you to come with me!" She clenched her teeth. "But you…you…" Her voice gave away as tears began to form in her eyes.

Trent felt his stomach knot again. "Two days ago?" he repeated. "That was when I filling out the medicine orders…" He bit his lip. _'I…I must have ignored you…'_

Claire rubbed her eyes. "F-forget it…" She shouldered her rucksack and turned towards the door. "I gotta go back to the farm…" She stopped as Trent grabbed her hand from behind. "Trent…!"

His eyes pleaded for her to stay. "Claire, I'm so sorry…for everything."

She hated how she could feel her face warming up under his cool fingers. She had to focus all her attention on keeping her knees from buckling. "Let go," she said, pulling her hand away.

"I'm not a good person," he said. "In fact, I'm the worst kind of person there is. Claire, I hurt you so many times before. But you always came back to forgive me." He hung his head and dropped his hands to his sides. "And now I've hurt you again without even realizing it…I don't deserve your forgiveness. I don't deserve you at a"

"Don't say that!" she suddenly shouted.

He flinched and stepped back. "But it's true. Why would you deny it?"

"Because I like you!" she blurted, immediately regretting the words as soon as they slipped out of her lips.

Trent jerked back, surprised. "W…what?

"I-I like you," she repeated, turning to face him. Her expression was determined despite the tears that lingered in the corner of her eyes. "Isn't that a good enough reason?"

'_She likes…me?'_ he thought, his face suddenly getting hot. "Wait," he said, "I thought you liked Cliff!"

"Wh-_what?"_ She gave him a confused look. _'Where did that come from?!'_

"I-I saw you with Cliff yesterday!"

"So you were _spying_ on me?!"

"No! I-I was passing by, and…" Trent suddenly felt silly. _'Why am I bringing this up?'_

She put her hands on her hips. "Cliff needed a job," she explained, "or else he would have to leave town." She gasped in sudden realization. "Hey, everything kind of worked out after all!" she laughed.

"So that's it?" he asked. "That's the only reason you brought him?"

"Well, yeah," she answered. "He's my friend too, so I don't want him to go away…"

He sighed. _'What a relief…' _Then he noticed that Claire was smirking at him. "Wh-what?"

"You were jealous!"

"N-no…" He blushed as he turned away. "Maybe…A little. Stop laughing!" She continued to giggle, and he couldn't help but smile.

"So if you're jealous," she suddenly said, "does that mean you like me too?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward. "Yes."

"What? Really?" She was surprised, but he could see that she was pleased as well.

"I couldn't stand seeing you with Cliff," he told her, blushing slightly. "I've never felt like I did that day before…because I've never felt this way about anyone until I met you." He closed the distance between them and put his hands on her shoulders. "Everything about you energizes me," he said as he looked into her eyes. "You make me determined to keep trying to be a better person." He moved his hands from her shoulders and wrapped them around her waist. "Claire, I never want to hurt you again."

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. Then she smiled. "Silly," she said, "you're a doctor, remember? It's your job to make me feel better." She pressed closer against him. "And I know that you take your job seriously."

**-The End-**

**

* * *

A/N: **Thank you all so much for your encouragement throughout the story! Your beautiful words kept me sane. As you can see, this is the last chapter of the story, and I've tried to tie as many of the ends as I could, so sorry if there's stuff that doesn't seem right. I'm putting most of my focus on the doujinshi anyways, which has cut out a few parts of the story. Look forward to it, and thanks once again for all the love!


End file.
